'It's boring.'
Asha was analyzing the environment with Appraisal.
All she could see were roads and more cars.
When she was moving, she should restrict Appraisal to simple shapes again.
More than that would overload her gem.
'I want to see the sky.'
That was a wish Asha had these days.
Since she lost her senses, she could only perceive the world within a certain radius of her body.
She wanted to see stars and beautiful scenes someday.
It wasn't impossible if she used something like a telescope.
Or maybe a camera to expand her natural Appraisal.
Asha imagined herself walking with a camera attached to the top of her head.
She looked ridiculous.
Her abilities were limited and overloaded, but maybe there was a way to overcome that with gadgets.
Asha's current goal was to walk, and then hear and talk.
Walking was a process of automating movements and connecting them while maintaining her balance.
The human mind could focus on just one thing at a time. The same went for gems.
At least in normal cases.
The fact that Asha could split her gem to automate processes meant she could program her mind at some point.
She could eventually create her own unconscious system through her deliberate system.
Perfect parallel thinking was impossible.
However, it was possible to make a defined and predictable flow of actions.
This thought gave Asha hope.
It wasn't easy. It meant she had to fully understand the principles of the human body.
Not just the human body, but also how to efficiently automate information through her gem.
'Should I study programming?'
Asha's mind wasn't so different from a computer program.
If she learned how to code and structure algorithms, she could recycle this knowledge for her brain.
'It seems fun!'
Asha was a very curious being.
The idea of exploring fields like computer science and neuroscience to overcome her limitations made her mind race with possibilities.
She didn't know when it started, but she had never realized the world could be so interesting before.
In her past life, she was considered dumb. Her school grades were at the bottom, and her grandma was always worried about her future.
When she tried to focus on something, her mind would wander.
She could never fully concentrate on anything.
But since becoming a gem, that condition seemed to have vanished, and a strange sense of curiosity had awakened.
She wanted to understand! She wanted to dissect any information about the world!
Everything that could be useful or simply interesting.
If her senses weren't restricted, her face would probably be locked in a state of ecstasy.
Even Asha could no longer understand herself.
When she imagined all the books she could read, it felt like electricity coursing through her body.
Was this Heaven?
She wanted to go to a library right now!
If she could walk, she felt she might jump out of the moving car.
She knew her mind was losing control right now.
But the feeling was so good... she just wanted to get lost in her thoughts.
Her hands and feet trembled with ecstasy.
Hug.
Suddenly, arms enveloped her small body.
The arms invading her Appraisal interrupted her mind for a brief moment.
'Priyanka, what are you doing?'
She was at the best part! Priyanka had suddenly hugged her, disrupting her mind.
There wasn't any issue with being hugged by her friend, but why now, of all times?
Asha tried to focus again on all the possibilities, but the discomfort in her mind wouldn't allow her to relax enough to do so.
Sadness filled her, and her hands and feet stopped trembling, leaving a pitiful Asha.
At first, she had been worried about this part of herself.
However, as her senses became restricted and her world grew more boring day by day, she became more willing to indulge it.
What? There weren't any problems with being curious.
The thought of dissecting Steven must be natural too. Who doesn't have strange thoughts sometimes?
When the name Steven popped into her mind, another word followed.
'Diamond.'
If a defective gem like hers was this interesting, how fascinating would a Diamond be?
And there was an innocent Diamond on Earth!
'No! The original, I can't change it...'
Well, she couldn't change it. But what about after that?
'After?'
Yes, if she just waited for Steven to finish all the events and become a responsible adult, why couldn't she analyze him out of "coincidence" in the future?
'Yes, it makes sense...'
Didn't it? And how many gems would be there too? All the Crystal Gems and Little Homeworld...
Gulp.
And three other Diamonds.
'A-Ah.'
Four Diamonds with Steven included.
'Oh my god!'
If she became Steven's friend, wouldn't she be able to touch them just a little?
They'd be friends. What was wrong with friends touching each other's gems?
'He... Hehehe.'
Diamond technology easily surpassed Earth's technology. It was available on Homeworld.
And Steven had a free pass to explore it all.
Electricity surged through her body again.
Her feet and hands trembled with ecstasy once more.
She felt light as a feather.
She seemed to be floating in the clouds.
Her gem began to emit a strong light.
'Eh?'
Once again, Priyanka held her body even tighter.
She had invaded her entire world.
'Again, why?!'
A hand gently patted her head.
Her body was fully enveloped in Priyanka's arms.
The gesture immediately filled Asha with shame.
What was she doing? Was she doing this on purpose?
Every time Asha tried to get lost in her dreamland, Priyanka would grow bolder.
At some point, the shame outweighed her curiosity.
Her gem dimmed again.
Asha was grateful she had an expressionless face every day.
She shouldn't automate it, no matter what.
If people always made her feel this embarrassed, it would be better to maintain a poker face forever.
When the embarrassment subsided, all that remained was a calm mind.
'What the hell am I thinking?'
Asha began to question her sanity.
When she relaxed, her mind tended to veer in strange directions.
Her curiosity could kill her someday.
She had been thinking about analyzing other gems when she couldn't even walk or speak.
If she had allowed herself such thoughts in the past, when she was with Lion, she would have died.
What if her curiosity had led her to explore more than she could handle?
Wouldn't she have died for real this time?
This thought calmed her even more.
Thanks to Priyanka, she had realized this before it was too late.
'Let's do it with moderation.'
Her curiosity had its uses. Some good ideas had come from her improvised brainstorming.
But she shouldn't go too far with it.
The words "Homeworld" or "Diamond" shouldn't even cross her mind from now on.
She needed to focus on "herself" and "Earth."
Getting involved with Steven was obviously out of the question.
She only knew the story of "Steven Universe" and "Steven Universe Future".
But what happened after that? Would the world be as peaceful as she imagined?
What would happen after Steven's death? How would the Diamonds react?
Earth would probably be safe. It was a cartoon world, after all, so there shouldn't be a dark ending.
But this possibility still added "extra content" beyond the original story.
For that reason, she had to avoid getting involved with Steven or the gems at all costs.
'I will just live peacefully with Priyanka and her family.'
This was Asha's goal.
A peaceful life.
No fights, no weird stuff. No gems or alien technology...
Really, none of that? There shouldn't be any issues with gem technology at least...
'No!'
Asha reined in her thoughts. She wouldn't allow herself any other weaknesses.
She held Priyanka's hand tightly.
'A peaceful life!'
*
[This is my daughter.]
In front of her stood a familiar child.
She wore glasses and a beige dress, giving off an introverted vibe.
[What is her name?]
Asha asked, her gem emitting a dangerous light.
[Connie, she will be your new sister.]
'Connie... What an interesting name...'
[Get along well.]
Asha couldn't even notice what Priyanka wrote.
She was already unconscious.
*
Author note
Until I finish the remaining drafts I will upload chapters every three days. The next chapters will be uploaded on days 9 and 13. Little by little things will come back to normal. I used my stock before because of college and all I have now are a lot of drafts to finish (dying internally).